DETROIT - James Harden could make an NBA All-Star break out in a cold sweat over the prospect of having to guard him.

Detroit Pistons rookie Bruce Brown said bring it on.

"He's not afraid of anybody, he has a dog mentality," teammate Reggie Jackson said.

Brown, during his 25 minutes on the court Friday, hounded Harden, helping the Pistons defeat the Houston Rockets 116-111 in overtime at Little Caesars Arena.

Harden still scored a game-high 33 points, but a lot of that came while Brown was on the bench. Brown posted a game-best plus-18 rating.

Blake Griffin scored 28 points, including a 3-pointer that gave the Pistons a two-point lead with 2.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, before Eric Gordon's buzzer-beating game-tying driving layup.

But Brown's defense against one of the game's most prolific scorers is what had teammates talking.

"I can't say enough about what Bruce did," Griffin said. "He's just that type of player, has that capability. He did as good a job as anybody I've seen."

Brown played in two games for the G League Grand Rapids Drive last weekend but hadn't appeared on the floor for the Pistons since Nov. 9. He wasn't sure if he'd get off the bench on this night. But he was prepared for what he called a big challenge against a great scorer.

"I went through the game plan, knew his tendencies, just in case I got out there," Brown said. "I thought I did a pretty good job."

Brown's signature moment came with 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, when he stripped the ball from Harden at midcourt and had a clear path to the basket, only to get fouled. He sank both crucial free throws to give his team a 95-94 lead.

"He hasn't played in who knows how long but he was ready when his number was called," Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. "We needed a defensive presence more than anything else and he came in and did a great job."

Casey said he wanted to see what Brown could do against Harden and was prepared to fall back on Glenn Robinson III if the rookie wasn't up to the task.

"Tonight was a good opportunity to get him in there and give him a chance defensively to go against one of the better offensive players in the league," Casey said. "In my history, I've put different players on Harden, made him work, pick him up full-court, and it's like a 15-round battle. You just try to wear him down. he's almost impossible to guard."

Casey was particularly impressed that Brown did the job while committing only two fouls.

"He was very disciplined, he kept his hands back," Casey said. "We had a couple of those hand-in-the-cookie jar fouls, which are very difficult, and they're a master at it and he did a good job of (avoiding) that."

Brown called Harden the hardest player he's ever guarded, which goes without saying.

"He kind of lulls you to sleep," Brown said. "You don't know if he's going to shoot it or attack. I just try to keep him to his right hand and not foul him on threes."

This was only the second time in nine games Brown has logged more than 20 minutes.

"I was telling him after we played Boston, I watched him guard Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Marcus Morris all like in a half," Griffin said. "I don't know that you can name another rookie that can do that -- and guarded them well. To be thrown in the fire and play like that is huge."

Jackson called it amazing.

"He's very tough-minded, very talented," Jackson said. "We definitely needed him. He made (Harden) work all game. I think it kind showed throughout the game. His legs probably started to go, forced him into some difficult shots, caused some turnovers and just gave us confidence. We got behind him defensively and he had it going."